After escaping from Yarai-san, I soon realized I had nothing to wear. The casual clothes I had on earlier were still soaking wet in the sink.

On top of that, thanks to Yarai-san’s strange bout of indecisiveness, we hadn’t even decided what clothes I could borrow.

In other words, I was stark naked. I was in Yarai-san’s room with nothing but a bath towel—most likely a new one her mother had kindly left out for me—wrapped around my body. For the record, Yarai-san’s mother was asleep at the dining table, her head resting on her arms.

“…Haah.”

It was starting to get chilly. I shivered and clutched the edge of the towel tighter around me.

Part of me wanted Yarai-san to come back soon, but another part didn’t want to face her at all.

…What on earth had I done?

I’d made her look like that—given her that expression.

Was it because I was driven by lust? No, that wasn’t it. It’s not like I saw Yarai-san that way. Sure, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t become aware of her after that half-confession of hers. But even then, it should’ve only been a kind of wariness, like “what’s her deal?”

And yet, what was this uneasy flutter in my chest?

“Sorry to keep you waiting! You really surprised me, Kaidou-san, suddenly running off like that.”

Footsteps pattered as Yarai-san came in—wearing only a bath towel, just like me. Her hair was still dripping wet, meaning she must’ve rushed out of the bath right after me. I felt awful.

“Did something happen? Did you get dizzy—oh, wait, you never got into the water, so that’s not it.”
“Ah, no, um… my head just felt a little light, that’s all. Maybe that’s it.”
“I see. Ah, then I’ll grab you some water!”

Still naked, Yarai-san hurried out of the room. I fed her a convenient lie and made her go out of her way for nothing. But I couldn’t possibly tell her the truth—that I had bolted because I couldn’t stand looking at her face just then.

“There was some sports drink, perfect timing!”
“…Thanks.”

I accepted the ice-cold bottle she handed me. Twisting off the cap, I took a long gulp. It wasn’t true that I’d felt dizzy, but my body really had been overheated. Before I knew it, I’d drunk about half of it.

It was a simple thing, but it helped me calm down a little. The heat that had been simmering deep inside me seemed to have cooled—just a bit.

“You feeling okay now?”

Yarai-san sat down beside me, leaning in with a worried look.

Startled, I instinctively pulled back. Even if I’d calmed down a little, I still couldn’t bring myself to look at her face from this close.

“Haha, you don’t have to jump like that! I’m not gonna kiss you or anything.”

Apparently, that was how she chose to interpret my reaction. For once, I was grateful for her carefree attitude.

“Mind if I look for something to wear?”
“Go ahead—top shelf’s underwear, so anywhere but there is fine. Oh, wait… Kaidou-san, what are you gonna do about underwear?”
“I guess I’ll have to reuse mine for now.”
“Hmm, hold on a sec.”

Without another word, Yarai-san started rummaging through the very top drawer anyway. She pulled out a simple bra and pair of panties—two sets, actually.

I figured one was for her, but instead, she held both out to me.

Even so, borrowing underwear was… a bit much. My expression must’ve said as much because—

“It’s fine! They’re brand new.”
“Ah, I see. That makes sense.”

At least she wasn’t completely lacking in common sense.

I took the underwear set from her. But then I realized something.

“Wait, these are your size, right? The panties might be okay, but the bra definitely won’t fit me.”
“Oh—haha, you’re right! I totally forgot!”
“Are you making fun of me?”
“Perish the thought!”

She let out a bright, guileless laugh, the kind that made it impossible to stay mad at her.

Yeah… this was the Yarai-san I knew. The one who was always smiling, always impossible to read.

So that sultry, bewitching version of her I’d seen earlier—had that been an illusion?

Maybe I really had been lightheaded, seeing things that weren’t there.

“…Huh? Do I have something on my face?”

No, that was just an excuse. The look of bliss I’d seen on her face was burned into my memory, far too vividly to dismiss as a trick of the mind.

“No. Anyway, can I just take the panties?”
“That’s what I figured. But they come as a set, so you might as well take the bra too.”
“I don’t have any use for it.”
“Think of it as an investment in the future!”
“You *are* making fun of me.”

I shot a resentful glare at the ample pair swaying in front of me.